《君主论·第十五章·世人尤其君主因何受赞誉或受责难》第1节
It remains now to see what ought to be the rules of conduct for a prince towards subject and friends. And as I know that many have written on this point, I expect I shall be considered presumptuous in mentioning it again, especially as in discussing it I shall depart from the methods of other people. But, it being my intention to write a thing which shall be useful to him who apprehends it, it appears to me more appropriate to follow up the real truth of the matter than the imagination of it; for many have pictured republics and principalities which in fact have never been known or seen, because how one lives is so far distant from how one ought to live, that he who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation; for a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil.
注释摘要
在这第十五章的开篇，马基雅维利做出了一个他整个思想体系中最为著名的宣告：他将不再谈论君主应当如何按照道德理想生活，而是转向君主实际上必须如何行动才能保全自己。这短短一段话，实际上是整部《君主论》最核心的方法论声明。他对读者说，我知道有很多人写过这个题目，我再说一遍可能会显得狂妄，尤其是我将与他们的方法分道扬镳。那些前人，也就是从古典到中世纪的一整套“君主宝…